Seattle University stayed with Loyola Chicago for most of Wednesday’s semifinal in the College Basketball Invitational, but the Ramblers put together a late run to defeat the Redhawks, 63-48, ending Seattle U’s 2014-15 season.
William Powell (Huntsville, Ala.) led Seattle U with 12 points and three assists, plus he pulled down five rebounds, while Jadon Cohee (Langley, B.C.) kept the Redhawks in the game early with 10 first-half points. Jack Crook (Manchester, England) earned a team-high six rebounds to go along with six points, the same total collected by Isiah Umipig (Federal Way, Wash.) and Emmanuel Chibuogwu (Seattle, Wash.).
After Powell made the first basket of the game, Loyola scored the next eight points over a four-minute span to take the early lead at 8-2. The Redhawks went on a 10-3 scoring run, eight of those points scored by Cohee, to pull ahead, 14-13, before a three-pointer by Ben Richardson and a layup by Christian Thomas put the Ramblers back on top, 18-14.
Seattle U held Loyola scoreless for over three minutes late in the first half, scoring seven unanswered points, capped by a Umipig three-pointer, before Richardson hit a jumper to pull the Ramblers to within one at 21-20 at halftime.
Crook hit back-to-back shots to give the Redhawks a 25-21 advantage early in the second half, and then Chibuogwu converted on a traditional three-point play to help Seattle U reestablish its four-point lead. A three-pointer by Milton Doyle and a layup by Earl Peterson put the Ramblers on top briefly, but a layup by Emerson Murray (Vancouver, B.C.) followed by consecutive layups from Powell put Seattle U back in the lead, 34-29, with 12:15 left in the second half.
Loyola (22-13) scored eight unanswered points, capped by consecutive three-pointers from Devon Turk, to retake the lead halfway through the second half, but once again Seattle U made a run, outscoring Loyola 8-3 to establish a 42-40 advantage with 5:51 remaining in regulation. The Ramblers scored 14 straight points over the next four minutes, closing out the game with a 23-6 scoring run down the stretch to advance to the CBI best-of-three championship series against Louisiana-Monroe.
“I give Loyola a lot of credit for their fight throughout the game. We tried to battle back, but down the stretch when we had the looks, we could not capitalize on those opportunities,” Seattle U head coach Cameron Dollar said. “In order to come into someone else’s house and come away with the victory, you have to take care of the ball and make some shots, but we could not get it done tonight.”
The team’s leading scorer at 17.3 points per game entering the contest, Umipig was held to his second-lowest point total of the year, while Jarell Flora (Bremerton, Wash.) made just two free throws to finish with his lowest point total of the year, 12 points beneath his scoring average. As a team, Seattle U shot 40 percent (18-of-45) from the field, including 4-of-17 from behind the three-point line, and 8-of-9 from the free throw line, plus the Redhawks won the rebounding battle, 30-28.
Peterson and Turk led Loyola with 15 points apiece, while Doyle contributed nine points, three assists, and four steals off the bench and Thomas earned eight points, seven rebounds, and two assists. The Ramblers shot 43.8 percent (21-of-48) from the field, including 8-of-20 from behind the three-point line, and 68.4 percent (13-of-19) from the free throw line, plus they scored 26 points off 22 Seattle U turnovers.
Seattle University finishes the 2014-15 season with an 18-16 record, the most victories for the Redhawks since winning 21 games in the 2008-09 campaign. Shore Adenekan (London, England), Flora, Murray, and Umipig completed their collegiate careers, but 10 players on the 2014-15 roster will be eligible to return to the Redhawk program next season.